Southwest to start charging for bags

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

As much as flying can be a stressful hassle it's impossible for us to travel without flying. To get to Orlando is 18+ hours (that's if you don't hit Atlanta traffic and we all know that is going to happen) OR a 2 hour 45 min flight. We wouldn't be able to actually do much travel at all certainly not international if we just drove to places. That said sometimes we do something to eliminate an EXTRA flight such as in under 2 weeks driving 8 hours instead of flying that because we have after that an international flight. Going to visit in-laws 3 1/2 hours away is driving because a flight costs more and takes longer overall due to having to get to the airport for the flight (the flight is like 55 mins).

It's been a toss up for us but in the last 10 years it's been less checked luggage but most of that is because of the destination or the number of days.

WDW/USO trips checked luggage, Cancun checked luggage, Vegas no checked luggage, Puerto Rico no checked luggage, Jamaica pretty sure we did checked luggage, cruises checked luggage (both European), 2+ weeks traveling around Europe personal item and carry on, 2+ weeks in Japan personal item and carry on, upcoming UK trip 2+ weeks personal item and carry on.

For international even though they are long trips it's mostly because of 1) mobility including train stations and in Europe cobblestones 2) not wanting to wait around for checked luggage. In these cases we've done well with doing laundry at the hotels. The hardest part has been dealing with incredible size and weight restrictions but it's been doable for the long travel by train/hotel stay combo trips.

For the cruises I would like to not have checked luggage but it's the reverse of the other international destinations that the size and weight restrictions for international flights for personal and carry on items make it very difficult to pack the amount of clothes needed to accommodate the cruise environment and destinations.

I honestly don't remember really checking 2 pieces often at all however I think families with children or teens is the bulk of those who did.

We are the same distance as you.
18hr+ driving usually split into two days.
Or a 2hr45min flight.
We've done it both ways many times.
Driving isn't an option if we go during the school year because my sister is a teacher but in the summer its great.

Of course if it were a longer drive or an international destination flying is necessary but we've kind of been there done that in the past so WDW is what most of our trips are.

 

[Pinnochio]

I'll still use SW, because it's still about schedule and convenience as well as cost - but I'm guessing that the luggage costs & needing to use the credits in 6 months may have me second guessing before booking.

Same here...it just won't be automatic like it's always been....If i have to pay for bags now that's going to pretty much level the playing field with other airlines so yeah, I'll definitely be looking around a lot more.....

 

[Pinnochio]

With everyone else at $30something, they could charge $15 or $20 and not rile everyone up so much.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We are the same distance as you.
18hr+ driving usually split into two days.
Or a 2hr45min flight.
We've done it both ways many times.
Driving isn't an option if we go during the school year because my sister is a teacher but in the summer its great.

Of course if it were a longer drive or an international destination flying is necessary but we've kind of been there done that in the past so WDW is what most of our trips are.

I've done the same WDW drive before with 3 large dogs too but it's a 2 day drive there and a 2 day drive back. Realistically very few people can do that most especially with limited PTO time. Nor do many people want to remove so much time from their vacation or honestly just costs in general as that's added hotel stays and rental car expenses if not taking your own vehicle (which I wouldn't these days want to take my own vehicle and put that many additional miles on it) even if they have the time just to drive when they can fly.

TBH I find an 18-20hour drive to be long enough to not opt for driving it. The only time we have done a very very long drive when it was a road trip but the driving and stopping at destinations is the vacation. We've done 11+hr drive to Colorado and that was only after I realized that I am sensitive to such a large altitude change (we flew the first time and I ended up with mild altitude sickness) but a trip that safely and realistically takes 4 days RT? That's not a choice many people can make so even though en masse airlines are upsetting us, the experiences frankly sucks most of the time, driving isn't an alternative a lot can make.

Basically for many it's a necessary evil to fly and changes like this affect them/us greater than someone like you who easily switches to just driving but I think it's great you can just transition like that without much issues

Off subject but I sorta laugh (lightly here so not intent to offend) at your been there done that in the past so WDW is where most of your trips are. I feel like my husband and I are just beginning to do international travel having only done our honeymoon in 2013 and 2018 on another trip as international. There's so many more countries and places we want to visit. In 2023 we visited 7 countries, in 2024 we visited 7 countries (an 8th one was just a connection point), in 2025 it'll be 5 countries and revisiting 3 countries, in 2026 it's at least 2 countries. What we have been doing is flying SWA to connect to the coasts and then flying international (sans the 2023 cruise where we drove to Chicago then flew to Italy from there and then flew back into Chicago and made the return drive home) so even if SWA isn't being used to get overseas it's being used during the trip.

 

[ScooterPie]

No, I don’t think so. Changes are still free. But the flight credits you receive when you change to lower cost flight will now expire. 6mo for lowest tier (used to be Wanna Get Away, now called “Basic”) and 12 mo for next tier up, Wanna Get Away Plus. Top two tiers are still fully refundable so changes would be refunded in cash instead of flight credits; those haven’t changed.

EDIT: I was wrong - You cannot change a “Basic” fare with these new changes. So you have to book at least one tier up if you want the ability to rebook at lower price.

You can still cancel “Basic” for free, so outright cancelling and rebooking is an option…I suppose that could work out for using your flight credits within 6mo if you immediately rebook (assuming the credits are issued swiftly and there is still room on the flight)…but that just makes the process so much more convoluted than it currently is. I wonder if the main motivation on their end is to create a system that works more seamlessly with IcelandAir and other future partners…

Thank you for the information.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

Another clarification please, if anyone knows, do you get the baggage credit back on the Southwest Credit Card for the entire party or just for the card holder?

I called and was told it will probably be for the card holder only but no details are available yet.

I asked how people are supposed to be able make decisions about their flights based upon their budget for May 28th and later and the guy said "standby and keep watching the website. nothing has been released yet, officially". That is NOT helpful.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I called and was told it will probably be for the card holder only but no details are available yet.

I asked how people are supposed to be able make decisions about their flights based upon their budget for May 28th and later and the guy said "standby and keep watching the website. nothing has been released yet, officially". That is NOT helpful.

It's highly unlikely the call center people have the information and if people are talking in the first few days after this announcement I wouldn't fully trust it until SWA officially states it. That's because it's hard to tell the person calling "I don't know" when really they probably haven't been given that information yet.

Often par for the course on corporate decisions. You'd hope they would give the information to everyone first, ensure all are aware of all the details and then announced it to the public but that rarely happens that way. I feel for people trying to figure it out right now in this immediate moment but the poor call center folks have to be feeling so stressed and overwhelmed with calls with standing a high chance of not having information to give.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

It's highly unlikely the call center people have the information and if people are talking in the first few days after this announcement I wouldn't fully trust it until SWA officially states it. That's because it's hard to tell the person calling "I don't know" when really they probably haven't been given that information yet.

Yeah, I'm waiting for the official policy being listed on SW website and/or Chase card terms.

If they really go to bag charged to card and refunded, that would make their benefit significantly worse than other legacy carriers. And, operationally, are they really going to want me to charge one bag to my personal card, then one bag to my husband's card, etc to get the full benefit when there are multiple cardholders on the reservation?

 

[reddog21]

It's highly unlikely the call center people have the information and if people are talking in the first few days after this announcement I wouldn't fully trust it until SWA officially states it. That's because it's hard to tell the person calling "I don't know" when really they probably haven't been given that information yet.

Maybe SW has a bus driver they have all the inside information.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Maybe SW has a bus driver they have all the inside information.

but we all here know it's a rare thing indeed that a bus driver has the full accurate information

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

SW updated the details for cardholders:

How will Southwest credit one standard checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and those traveling on the same reservation as the Cardmember?

All Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and up to eight additional Passengers traveling on the same reservation are eligible to receive a credit for their first standard checked bag. The cost of the first standard checked bag will be refunded to the original form of payment used to purchase the bag. Customers can use any credit card for payment to qualify for the refund, including but not limited to the Rapid Rewards Credit Card. Customers do not need to call their bank to issue or receive their refund. The refund will be processed by Southwest.

Companion Pass Holders

If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for a checked baggage benefit, will the benefit apply to their designated Companion when traveling together?

Yes. If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for one or two free checked bags (based, for example, on tier status or the fare purchased), the benefit will apply to their Companion. The Companion will need to pay the applicable fee(s) at the airport, and the fee(s) will be refunded to the original form of payment.

Source: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/policy-changes

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I called and was told it will probably be for the card holder only but no details are available yet.

I asked how people are supposed to be able make decisions about their flights based upon their budget for May 28th and later and the guy said "standby and keep watching the website. nothing has been released yet, officially". That is NOT helpful.

Take a look at my updated post here. One card gets bags for up to 8 folks on the same reservation including companions.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I got their email (as I have a trip that spans May 24-Jun 1) and the wording there led me to believe it didn't apply to my "post May 28th" trip......so we shall see

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I got their email (as I have a trip that spans May 24-Jun 1) and the wording there led me to believe it didn't apply to my "post May 28th" trip......so we shall see

It's booked or changed by 5/28, not flying by 5/28.

Unless you change your return flight while you're on your trip, it will all have been booked before 5/28.

 

[disneyseniors]

This statement is so true. SW is really stripping away their brand identity. We were so loyal to SW for years because of low prices, free checked bags, generous time for reusing travel funds, no fees for cancelling/rescheduling flights, many nonstop flights to our preferred destinations, and the super friendly/fun personalities of their employees and their brand "quirkiness." We looked past no assigned seating because there were so many positives.

Sadly, no more. We started flying Delta during the pandemic and realized we were getting a better flying experience for our money. Assigned seats REALLY lowers trip anxiety. Their seating is more comfortable and most planes have seatback entertainment. They have more destinations and more flights for those destinations. There are WAY fewer "wheelchair" miracles....LOL Delta even refunded our tickets a few years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer and we had to cancel our trip for my medical care. They didn't give us ecredit. They actually refunded to our cc. Incredible customer service.

We will now only consider SW if its a nonstop flight at a good price WITH all of the new nickel-and-dime charges added on. Otherwise, its Delta for us. Their Delta AMEX gives us just the right amount of perks to make it worth the cost.

I agree with you about Delta. It is the only airlines we fly and we are never disappointed by them. I booked a cheap flight once to Orlando on Spirit and wont' do that again. I only booked Spirit because I was flying with someone else who wanted Spirit due to it's lower cost. That was a mistake I won't do again.

 

[jimmymc]

I've been wary of Southwest since their Christmas IT meltdown, but I would specifically price them out when I knew I would have a checked bag or two and prices with the other airlines were high. With the change, it definitely makes me less likely to fly them.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Very sad…so many things I liked about SWA are being eliminated. I hope they know the new market they are chasing because they seem to dumping a lot of former, long term customers.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

Removing post - got a good response from SWA.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The phone reps at SWA are saying any flights, even booked today, taking place on or after 5/28 will have bag fees. I read your link, from SWA....weird that the people on the phone do not know this. ;/

Not weird at all, it's 100% expected. It's fairly easy to think about the trickle down of knowledge. When you call, if they've been given that new updated information, etc all matter. They just updated information from this morning it's doubtful they actually relayed that to the at least several hundred assuming more workers taking a gadzillion phone calls from harried customers frantically trying to figure out what the changes are. Companies both rarely lay out all the facts clearly to customers let alone their actual employees. The rule usually is fake it til you make it which is why I said earlier it's hard for them to say they don't know

 

[elvispursley]

Something noticed flying to MCO the past 6 months I always seemed to get one of the newer planes (I think it is the 737-800). I have sat in all 3 positions. I always bring the same tote bag packed the same way for my personal item. In the middle and window seat, I have room to put it under the seat and comfortably have my feet around it. On the aisle seat, I can barely stuff the bag under the seat. The areas not being the same size seems like a bad design to me.

I can remember a few years back Southwest gate agents were trolling through the gate area a few minutes before boarding and looking at people’s luggage. They would offer gate checks, especially if they seemed large or overstuffed.

While shopping for luggage, I researched all the domestic carry-on sizes. Southwest and Frontier have. 24-16-10. All other domestic are 22-14-9. It does not seem like a big difference, but when you look side by side, it is.

So true! I once traded my aisle seat for the middle seat because my personal item bag wouldn’t fit in the aisle seat. I usually book window but since moving to Hawaii, the flight back to the mainland is too long for my bladder and I hate making people move so I can get up. Now if I book an aisle when solo,
I make sure to bring a very small personal
Item bag. Very poor design indeed.